Foundation garment



Nov. 7, 1950 s. w. THALMAN FOUNDATION GARMENT Filed Jan. 16, 1947 INVENTOR M Y m w wm G L Patented Nov. 7, 1950 FOUNDATION GARMENT Sally Whitmore Thalman, Bridgeport, Conn., as-

signor to The Warner Brothers Company,

Bridgeport, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application January 16, 1947, Serial No. 722,342

2 Claims.

This invention relates to ladies foundation gar- -ments and more particularly to girdles formed with a crotch.

An. object of the invention is to provide a novel girdle having a crotch portion affording maximum convenience and comfort to the wearer.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a girdle embodying my invention.

Fig; 2 .is a rear view of said girdle.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional detail view, on an enlarged scale, taken on line of Fig. l.

4 is a vertical sectional detail view, on an enlarged scale, taken on line l:i of Fig.1.

i Referring to-the drawings, the girdle illustrated comprises a front panel l-, a rear panel 2, and side panels 3, 4, between said front and rear panels and suitably joined thereto. as by stitching along adjacent edges. The front panel may, as shown, be formed in sections la, lb, stitched together at their abutting edges, 10.

The lower portions of the panels 2, 3, and 4 form leg portions, 5 and 6, of the girdle.

The crotch portion of the garment, with which my invention is particularly concerned, is formed of two overlapping fabric elements I, 8. shown as extending from the front ,to the rear of said garment between the panels 3 and 4. While these elements may, if desired, be formed separately from the front panel sections la, lb, and suitably stitched thereto. I have shown them as extensions of those respective panel sections. Specifically, the element 1 is shown as an extension of the panel section lb, while element 8 is an extension of panel section la. The material forming the element 1 is doubled over upon itself (Figs. 3 and 4) and stitched at its inner or free edges to the adjacent edge ll) of the side panel 4. As shown, the element 1 extends laterally a slight distance beyond the line of stitching lc between the front panel sections la, lb, andmay be stitched at the top of its extension to the section la, as shown at 9 in Fig. 1. At its furthermost end I l, the element '1 is stitched to the adjacent edge of the rear panel 2, as shown in Fig. 2. Y

The material forming the element 3 is stitched along its inner edges to the adjacent edge l2 of the side panel 3. The end I3 (Fig. 2) of said element 8 is stitched to the adjacent edge of the rear panel 2; while the adjacent end portion of said element 8 is also stitched at l4, IE, to the adjacent portion of the element 1.

The material in the element 8 between the lines inelastic transversely of said elements.

of stitching 9 and I5 is doubled upon itself to provide a flap l6. This flap of doubled-over material projects into and preferably substantially beyond the inner edges of the crotch element 1. The adjacent upper edges of said doubled-over material are closed by stitching them together, at H; as are likewise the lower edges at I8.

It will thus be seen that the elements 1 and 8 provide in the girdle a crotch portion, which is normally closed by the flap l6 fitting within the panel i, which may be expeditiously opened by withdrawing said flap, and which may thereafter be readily closed by reinserting said flap. The

folding back of the material of each of the elements 1 and it so that it is of two thicknesses :along the crotch opening. provides an advancomfort of the wearer.

The crotch elements i, 8 are each preferably made of material elastic longitudinally of said elements, as indicated by the arrows applied thereto in Fig. 1, said material being substantially They may, for example, be of elastic satin or batiste, or of jersey.

In the embodiment illustrated the front panel sections Ia, lb, being of the same material as the crotch elements l, S, are likewise of material elastic longitudinally but not transversely as indicated by the arrows applied to said panel sections. However the front panel sections may if desired by made of two-way stretch material, i. e., material elastic or stretchable both vertically and horizontally; or they may be made of inelastic or non-stretchable material.

The side panels 3 and 4 in the embodiment illustrated are of material elastic both vertically and horizontally as shown by the arrows applied to those panels. However such side panels may if desired be of horizontally but not vertically stretchable material. The rear panel 2 is indicated by the applied arrow as elastic vertically and substantially inelastic horizontally, but it may be of any desired material.

The girdle as illustrated may have joined thereto at its top a circumferentially elastic band 20 having short vertical stays 2| of suitable stiffening material, as is customary, in many girdles.

The terms and expression which I have emof such terms and expressions, of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, but recognize that various modifications are possible Within the scope of the invention claimed.

I claim:

1. A' girdle comprising a front panel, a rear panel, side panels between said front and rear to said rear panel, said extension being stitched along one edge to an adjacent side panel and having an opposite edge terminating short of the other side panel to define an edge of a crotch opening, the material of said extension being folded upon itself to provide a smooth doublethickness crotch-opening edge, another extension from said front panel projecting downwardly and thence from the front to the rear of the garment adjacent the first-mentioned extension,

said other extension terminating in an end stitched to said rear panel and being also stitched along an edge to said other side panel, said other extension having a flap portion projecting laterally from said stitched edge beyond said crotch-opening edge of the first-mentioned extension and lying inside the latter to .provide a removable closure for said crotch opening.

2. A girdle comprising a front panel, a rear panel, side panels between said front and rear panels and joined thereto by stitching, the lower portions of said side panels and said rear panel forming leg-encircling portions of said girdle, said girdle having a crotch portion comprising an "extension from said front panel projecting downwardly and thence from the front to the rear of the garment and terminating in an end stitched to said rear panel, said extension being stitched along one edge to an adjacent side panel and having an opposite edge terminating short of the other side panel to define an edge of a crotch opening, the material of said extension being folded upon itself to provide a smooth doublethickness crotch-opening edge, another extension from said front panel projecting downwardly and thence from the front to the rear of the garment adjacent the first-mentioned extension, said other extension terminating in an end stitched to said rear panel and being also stitched along an edge to said other side panel, said other extension havinga flap portion projecting laterally from said stitched edge and terminating in free upper and lower edges and a free side edge, said flap overlapping the first-mentioned extension and lying within the same to provide a removable closure for said crotch opening, a side edge portion of saidother extension projecting beyond said flap and being stitched to an adjacent portion of said first-mentioned extension.

i SALLY WHITMORE THALMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: V

UNITED STATES PATENTS Hall Aug. 14, 1945 

